Tigers Stuffed By Eagles: Hull Relegated

Crystal Palace beat Hull City into submission to relegate them with a 4-0 drilling at Selhurst Park that cemented Palace’s stay in the premiership division for next season. It was all a bit embarrassing for Hull in the end as Sam Allardyce saved another club from relegation following his incredible antics to keep Sunderland up last year. Hull were down and out in this one as the Londoner’s tore the Tigers apart with a tunnel vision approach that bodes well for The Eagles for next season. I wrote in January that Palace were too good a side to go down and they proved that theory right with aplomb as Hull were flattened.

Marco Silva’s side went behind after a shocking error just two minutes and 11 seconds into a game they needed to win to give themselves a fighting chance of survival. Italy defender Andrea Ranocchia missed a simple clearance, allowing Wilfried Zaha to run clear and slot beyond goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic. Zaha has been rejuvenated since Allardyce became manager.

The Tigers, who failed to register a shot on target on Sunday, will join Sunderland and Middlesbrough in the Championship next season. Let’s be honest, league tables don’t lie and those three teams deserved to go down. Sunderland were atrocious, Middlesbrough were as boring as butter and Hull who had the fight in the early part of the year lost it in the last 6 weeks.

Hull City boss Marco Silva knew the first goal was costly: “Today we came here to play one final and we started in a bad way. It gave Palace what they wanted for the match. They knew what was in it for them.

“We tried but conceded again and it finished the game. We tried to make changes at half-time for a small reaction. Possession is not enough. You have to take the right decisions. At this level it makes a difference. When the club came to me, we knew we were taking on a big risk. But we had one target, to stay in the Premier League. We did our best to improve the boys in the team and that was our job.”

Hull City captain Michael Dawson was in no doubt about his manager Marco Silva: “It is very hard. The season has been a long, hard slog and it is a sad day.

“You work hard all year and then you get relegated, you have to pick yourselves up and we know what to do in the Championship. Marco Silva has done a fantastic job since he came in. He has done remarkably well to give us half a chance but we just came up short.”

With Chelsea winning the title on Friday after their 1-0 win over West Brom it was important that Spurs put in a good performance against Manchester United in their final game at White Hart Lane before it is knocked down to make way for Spurs new stadium. It was a great performance as they beat Jose Mourinho’s United team 2-1. Goals from Victor Wanyama and Harry Kane earned Tottenham victory although to some extent United rolled over and let Spurs dominate with one eye on the Europa Cup Final. They made various changes and Wayne Rooney got a rare Premier League start this season.

Wanyama got Spurs off to the best possible start with a bullet of a header five minutes in and Mr Reliable Harry Kane doubled their lead early in the second half, flicking home from a Christian Eriksen free-kick.

Captain Wayne Rooney gave United hope of a recovery when he poked in from Anthony Martial’s low cross, but they were unable to spoil the leaving party and were pretty poor in the first period. They did improve after the break though but it wasn’t enough.

Defeat means Jose Mourinho’s men cannot now finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League through the Premiership. They can still qualify for the Champions League if they win the Europa League though and it looks like this was Mourinho’s intention.

Spurs plan to have their new stadium, built on the same site, ready for the 2018-19 campaign and will play their home matches at Wembley next season. Mauricio Pochettino’s side left their current ground, where they have spent 118 years, on a high by staying unbeaten there this season and securing second spot in the Premier League.

Liverpool walloped West Ham United 4-0 as Philippe Coutinho’s sublime pass on the half-hour mark cut open the Hammers defence and picked out an unmarked Sturridge who went around goalkeeper Adrian before slotting home sweetly.

Coutinho had a blinder and scored two of his own after the break before Divock Origi fired in a fourth to complete the Liverpool win.

Victory against Middlesbrough on the final day of the season will guarantee Liverpool a Champions League place in 2017-18.

Swansea beat a more than poor Sunderland team 2-0 in the north east thanks to goals from Fernando Llorente and Kyle Naughton and gave them a deserved win over the hapless relegated Sunderland.

It was too easy for the Swans and once Llorente headed home Gylfi Sigurdsson’s free-kick in the ninth minute there was only ever going to be one winner.

Naughton struck a decisive blow in first-half stoppage time with his first Swans goal – a superb angled drive into the far top corner. Coupled with Hull’s Sunday defeat at Crystal Palace Swansea stay up.

Arsenal stuffed Stoke City 4-1 to keep in contention for a Champions League place while Bournemouth beat Burnley 2-1 and Manchester City beat Leicester by the same scoreline. Southampton took the spoils in their game with relegated Middlesbrough. 2-1 in that match also.

Congrats to Chelsea for the title, Swansea for staying up and commiserations to Hull on their relegation.

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